Roald Dahl

Children's Literature

Adam Woog's brief biography of Dahl (1916-1990) is well-keyed to the author's huge fan base of preteen readers. While much has been culled from Dahl's own Boy and Going Solo, enough has been added to get a feel for the difficulties of Dahl's later private life—as well as to address his equally difficult personality. This is necessary for kids to know, since a droll, sardonic nature was necessary for the creation of books like Witches, or Matilda. It is fun to be reminded where some of the ideas came from, e.g., Charlie and the Chocolate Factory's birth in the Cadbury candy factory which tested its products on Dahl and his fellow boarding school pupils. Woog also takes pains to emphasize Dahl's closeness to his children—a useful point considering the quality of parenting generally exhibited in his stories. Overall, the book is a useful tool for youngsters deep into Dahl's writing, but not yet ready to graduate to his autobiographical works. It is part of the "Inventors and Creators" series, nicely designed and packaged for younger readers: large type; well-chosen and reproduced photographs; appended glossary, bibliography and index; and bright, laminated covers. 2005, Kidhaven/Thomson/Gale, Ages 7 to 12.
—Kathleen Karr